The Comfort of Recovery
by Verb
Summary: Sometimes, you just need somewhere comfortable to crash. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Part 1 of 3

TITLE: "The Comfort of Recovery" Part I

AUTHOR: Verb

RATING: PG, I would think

CATEGORY: Humor, some Daniel/Janet, slight Jack/Sam pre-relationship

SUMMARY: Sometimes, you just need somewhere comfortable to crash. Part 1 of 3.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events therein are copyrighted to the author.

DEDICATION: Again to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea, for encouragement and beta'ing; and to krysalys, because apparently obsessed minds think alike.

* * *

Pie was good. That was the though that found Colonel Jack O'Neill heading towards the base commissary at 1700 in the afternoon. Pie was good and there was nothing he could do to dislodge that thought from his brain.

It had been a very busy few weeks. Most of which he had spent in an extremely uncomfortable infirmary chair, sitting by while Daniel recovered from yet another injury sustained off-world. Jack had never met anyone as accident-prone as his favourite archeologist, who seemed determined to make the Colonel go grey as soon as possible. He supposed that was the price to pay for having a non-military geek on his team; a price he gladly paid for all of the times Daniel's diplomatic skills had gotten them out of a mess.

Reaching the elevators, he swiped his security pass, humming idly as he waited for the doors to open and whisk him away to the land of pie.

"Humming, sir?"

Jack's eyes snapped forward, instantly recognizing the voice of his 2IC. There in the elevator stood Sam and Teal'c, the barest hint of a smile on both of their faces. "What of it, Carter?"

Sam stepped out of the elevator, closely followed by Teal'c. "Nothing, sir. It's just . . . you were humming the Care Bears theme song."

Jack scoffed. "Well, what can I say? It's just so much catchier than the Hockey Night in Canada theme music." Jack eyed his teammates. "Where are you off to?"

"We were informed by Dr. Fraiser that DanielJackson is once again conscious," Teal'c explained. "I wish to visit him to ensure his good health remains for a period of time exceeding 24 hours."

"Oh, good. I was just there myself. Daniel's fine, but he'll be glad to see the both of you." Jack gestured to the open elevator doors. "I'll catch you later."

"Wait, sir. Where is it that you're headed?"

"Pie."

"3.14?"

Jack stared at Sam. "Sorry, sir. Old calculus joke. The commissary then?" Jack nodded his head. "I'll go with you then. I've already visited with Daniel and I wanted to go talk with Dr. Swanson about her findings on the device we brought back from P3X 494," Sam explained as she followed Jack into the elevator. "Her office is only two floors above the commissary."

Jack nodded again, absently pressing the button for level 20. There was something in the back of his mind, trying to tell him something was up. And it wasn't his sidearm.

XXXXXXX

Teal'c strode into the infirmary, stopping briefly to admire the plaque that hung on the wall beside Daniel's bed before addressing his friend. "DanielJackson."

Daniel looked up from the book he was pouring over. "Teal'c. Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Of course. That is what friends are for," Teal'c intoned. He had been surprised when Dr. Fraiser had wished to speak with him not long after Daniel was awake.

"Been watching Sesame Street again, Teal'c?" Daniel smiled up at his friend.

"Yes. I find it most informative and entertaining. Especially the one called 'Big Bird'. His yellow colour is most interesting." Teal'c's fondness for children's shows had been born out of the process of getting him used to Earth and its customs.

"Well, Teal'c, I'm really going to need your help on this. Janet said she would do what she can, but she can't really leave the infirmary. And since she won't release me," he paused to glare at the closed door to her office, "I'm afraid you'll have to take care of most of the work."

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Teal'c bowed his head. "Anything, DanielJackson. I believe Jack is most deserving of your gift."

"Thanks Teal'c. Everything you need is here. Just follow the instructions and everything should turn out great," Daniel explained as he handed over the list of things that needed to be prepared. "Speaking of Jack, where is he?"

"He and Major Carter went to the commissary. I believe O'Neill expressed a great need for calculus."

Daniel's features drew together in a confused look. "Calculus?"

Teal'c nodded. "Yes. Pertaining to the number 3.14."

Realization dawned on Daniel. "Oh, Pi. Pie, right. That man has a one track mind." Daniel shook his head. "Ok, well as long as Sam can keep him occupied until later tonight. Hopefully she can distract him enough that he doesn't clue in to what's going on."

Teal'c allowed himself the outline of a smile. "I believe Major Carter will have no trouble distracting O'Neill."

Daniel smiled back at the man. Unspoken as it might have been, all of SG-1 knew of the feelings that existed between Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill. Maybe this little surprise would help to bring some of those feelings out into the open. "You should probably get going, Teal'c. That's a pretty long list."

Teal'c inclined his head at Daniel. "I shall see you at the festivities later this evening." With that, he turned and navigated his way around the new equipment that crowded the infirmary.

"You are not getting out of that bed after the concussion you sustained," Janet commanded, appearing beside Daniel's bed in the spot vacated by Teal'c.

Daniel frowned. "It wasn't that bad."

"You were unconscious for six hours," Janet reminded him in her best doctor voice. "You're staying right where you are so I can keep my eye on you."

He smiled, knowing that any concern Janet felt towards him was exactly the reason he loved her. "So, basically you're using the concussion as an excuse to keep me near you for the next three days, helpless and unable to do anything about it?" he asked playfully.

Janet leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "And don't you forget it."


	2. Part 2 of 3

TITLE: "The Comfort of Recovery" Part II

AUTHOR: Verb

RATING: PG, I would think

CATEGORY: Humour, some Daniel/Janet, slight Jack/Sam pre-relationship

SUMMARY: Sometimes, you just needed a place to crash and wait it all out. Part 2 of 3.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events therein are copyrighted to the author.

DEDICATION: Again to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea, for encouragement and beta'ing; and to krysalys, because apparently obsessed minds think alike.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to everyone who left a review – You guys all made my day and my week, which is much appreciated! Glad that the 'humour' aspect was not just in my mind. :) I also think that I forgot to mention that this story is a semi-sequel to the first story I wrote, "Unconscious Pursuit". This story will still make sense if you don't read that one first, but it might help sort out a few comments in the last part.

* * *

Jack was bored. When he and Sam had reached the commissary floor, Sam had dragged him with her to Dr. Swanson's office, swearing up and down that she would be all of five minutes. An hour later, he knew he was in trouble. As much as he enjoyed being with Carter – _near Carter, not with_ – his mind quickly corrected him, there was pie to be had not 20 feet below.

" . . . so if we can change the primary frequency, I think the problem with the inducer should clear right up. What do you think sir?"

"Huh?" _Nice, O'Neill. At least pretend you were paying attention._

Carter spoke again. "I was just telling Alex that all we have to do is-"

Jack held up his hands in a silent protest to stop whatever avalanche of techno-babble that was about to pour from Sam's mouth. "Whatever it is, Carter, I agree with you. Now, can we _please_ go and get some pie?"

Sam took a quick glance at her watch. "Whoops. Sorry, sir. We can go now," she said as she stepped towards the door. "I'll send you the report when I'm through, Doctor."

"Ok, thanks." Dr. Swanson's reply was barely heard by Sam, who was being propelled through the hall at a speed she was sure could rival sublight engines by a very determined colonel. "Sir, slow down!"

Jack loosened his grip on her arm, but continued to walk down the hall towards the elevators as if chased by replicators. "Can't. Commissary is waiting. And do you know what is in the commissary, Carter?"

Sam smiled as she answered his gruff question. "Pie, sir."

"Always knew you were bright, Carter."

Upon finally entering the mess, Jack steered Sam towards the desserts, grabbing a tray, a container of blue Jell-O for her, and the largest piece of pie he could find for himself. Adding two glasses of water to the tray, he then led her to an empty table in the corner of the room, dead set on enjoying his pie in peace.

Sitting down, Jack picked up his fork and spent the next few minutes dedicated to noting but the pie in front of him. It was perfect.

"So, sir, how are you?" Sam's careful voice broke through his pie-centered thoughts.

"Fine, Carter. You?"

Sam's lips turned up into a small smile. "No, I meant, how are you? I know it's been rough with Daniel back in the infirmary again and you barely left his side in six hours."

"Well, you know Daniel. He probably did it in purpose so he could spend more time with the Doc," Jack offered up half-heartedly, knowing that Sam would see right through him.

He wasn't disappointed.

"Sir, you know that's not true." Sam placed her spoon on the table beside her almost empty glass. "Granted, he does seem to have some unconscious ability to end up as close to Janet as possible, but it's more than that."

Jack started down at his empty plate, unsure of exactly what to say. He had been worried about Daniel – how could he not be? As a commanding officer, it was his responsibility to see that his team was safe, a task that often proved nearly impossible when Daniel was involved.

"It wasn't your fault."

The softness of her voice made Jack look up to meet her gaze. The blue eyes staring back at him seems to tell him all of the things he knew she couldn't say out loud. _How did she always know what to say?_ Jack allowed a small smile to touch his lips. "Yeah, well, at the very least, Daniel got what he wanted. He's confined to the infirmary for the next three days. Fraiser's orders."

Sam smiled wistfully. "She's as much a part of the problem as Daniel is." She picked up her spoon and resumed attacking the wiggly dessert. "At least now he has his very own bed, reserved just for him and his frequent injuries."

"Reserved by the President, no less." Jack leaned back in his chair, content now that he had finished his pie. "You've gotta have some kind of clout for the Big Man himself to dedicate something to you."

"Clout, sir?"

"Yes, Carter. Clout. It's a word," Jack defended himself, knowing full well that Sam was just trying to cheer him up. He kinda liked when she did that. "I mean, you don't see the President dedicating anything to me, do you?"

Carter stared at her C.O. "Uh, no sir. Is that the time?" She pushed herself away from the table, moving as if to get out of her chair.

"Whoa, Carter, what's your hurry?" Jack asked. "Was it something I said?"

"Uh, no, it's nothing, sir. I just remembered that I left a scan running in my lab. I should probably get back to it." She stood up, taking her empty glass with her. "What are your plans for the rest of the day, sir?"

Jack blinked at her, trying to figure out what had brought on this strange behaviour. "Well, I have some wonderful paperwork to complete, then General Hammond has called a debriefing that should last until at least 1900."

Sam nodded at him. "Good. I was wondering if you could give me a hand with something before you left the mountain, sir. I had something shipped from Area 51 and I was-"

"Hoping that I could throw my authority around to get it here faster?" He interrupted.

"Exactly, sir. Would you mind?"

"Not at all, Carter. I'll see you at about 1900."

"Great. See you then." Sam walked away as quickly as she could without alarming Jack, her feet not stopping until she reached the corridor outside of the commissary. The only thought running through her mind was _I really hope he hasn't figured it out_.

XXXXXXX

_That is one shiny forehead._ Probably not the best though to be having about your C.O. while he's in the room, but Jack couldn't help it. After forcing himself to sit in his office and finish his mission reports, he had spent the past hour listening to Dr. Rodney McKay drone on in his excruciatingly annoying superior voice about the dangers of Stargate travel. _Why isn't Carter here? It's not really like I have a clue what's going on._ Carter. Probably the second least best thought for Jack to be having while near his C.O.

"Colonel."

Jack's head snapped up. "What?"

McKay sighed, obviously exhausted. "Well, I've been trying to get you people to understand these problems that directly linking the dialing computer to complete the sequence on the Stargate can create and you're not even listening any more, are you?"

Jack strained to focus on the scientist's face, after having his eyes immediately glazed over once the man had started talking again. He smirked, staring down the scientist. "Sorry."

"Jack, I would appreciate it if you could at least try to stay alert during this briefing," General Hammond broke the silence. "Although, you may not think that it is relevant to your missions-"

"This information is vital to the continued success of the Stargate mission and the survival of its members," Jack interrupted in an attempt to cut off what was sure to be another lecture in the importance of scientific knowledge. "I understand, sir, it's just that I believe Carter would be more suited for this." Jack waved his hands in the direction of the mountain of technical briefs covering the conference table in front of him.

"Finally!" McKay exclaimed. "I was seriously starting to doubt military competence when I was told it would be you sitting in. Speaking of Sam, where is she?"

Jack's eyes flashed at Rodney's eager question. "Last time I checked, she was in her lab. And no, to answer your next question, she won't be joining us."

"Oh." McKay's face fell. "I guess I will have to go and stop by on my way out."

"That's really not a good idea, McKay. Remember what happened last time you stopped by her lab unannounced?"

"Yeah, I still have the scar," McKay recalled fondly

_Moron._ Jack couldn't explain it, but the idea of McKay being anywhere near his astrophysicist did not sit well. _When did she become my astrophysicist?_ "Well, McKay, Carter and I have plans at 1900, so it would probably be a good idea to just stay away."

"Plans?" General Hammond asked?

"Yes sir. She's got some toys coming in from Area 51, and the boys out there need a little encouragement to speed up the process."

General Hammond nodded his head. "Well, then I guess we should end this meeting now, since it's already 1920."

"General, I haven't yet gone through the ways in which 'gate travel can have numerous consequences when dealing with-"

General Hammond cut him off "Well, Doctor, I suppose we'll just have to read it for ourselves. Dismissed." With that, he left the room.

McKay looked over at O'Neill, who was pushing his chair away from the conference table and making his way over to the door. "Where do you think you're going?"

Jack paused and slowly turned to face the arrogant scientist. "Rodney, let me say this really simply and slowly so you'll understand. I'm. Going. To. See. Carter." He glanced down at his watch. "I'm already late and I don't have time for your technobabble."

"Why don't I tag along?" McKay approached the door. "I'm sure Major Carter would love to see me again."

"Yeah, see you in a coma," Jack muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry, who's in a coma?"

Jack sighed. "No one, McKay. It's probably best if you just saw yourself out. Shouldn't be that hard, even for you - just take the elevator all the way up."

Walking out the door, Jack threw one last comment at the arrogant man. "And stay the hell away from Carter."

McKay couldn't help but smile at Jack's last comment. _This place never changes._

XXXXXXX

By 1930, Major Samantha Carter had started to worry. _I know I asked the General to keep Jack occupied, but I think he may have taken me too seriously._

The sound of footsteps in the hall alerted her to the approach of her C.O. She instinctively knew it was him, the same way she could tell if Daniel or Teal'c were to drop by for a visit. Her team had become her family, something she was very grateful to have, even if it did have her analyzing the sound of footsteps on a regular basis.

"Ok Carter, where's the Area 51 butt I have to kick?" Jack asked while entering her lab, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of said butt kicking.

"Well, sir, I need to make a quick stop in the infirmary. I promised Daniel we would visit before we both left for the night." Sam smiled at the disappointed look that washed over Jack's face. "And then you can kick Area 51 butt, sir."

"Sweet. Let's get this party on the road, then. I'd like to visit Daniel while he's still conscious."

They made their way to the infirmary, choosing to pass the time with Jack recounting his briefing with General Hammond and McKay.

"I can't believe he proposed sending through 'test hamsters' to gauge the effects of 'gate travel on mammals," Sam laughed as she and Jack reached the doors to the infirmary.

"Yeah, well, I always told people that McKay's wheel was spinning, but there was no hamster. Now we know why," he joked back.

Sam laughed again. "Well, thank you for keeping him away from my lab." Sam shuddered at the thought of what had happened last time Rodney had been in the mountain. "I don't think I could keep myself from braining him with a naquadah generator."

"At least he's gone for the day." Jack paused. "Although I wonder why I was called into the briefing and not you. It's not like I fully understood a word that came out of that man's mouth."

Sam realised that Jack had figured that something was definitly going on. She watched as his features contorted into a long of deep consentration. She sent a small thank you in the direction of any number of human and alien dieties for helping keep Jack out of the loop for the entire day. "What is it, sir?"

Jack stared at his 2IC, as if by reading her eyes he could finally figure out what was going on right under his nose. "Carter, why are we here?"

"Visiting Daniel."

"No, Carter . . . why are we _really_ here?"

Jack's breath caught in his throat as he watched the slow but brilliant smile sweep over Sam's face.

"Why don't you go in and take a look."

Shooting her a questioning look, Jack turned and pushed his way through the doors to the imfirmary. Almost immediatley, he stoped short, causing Sam to crash into his back.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud . . ."


	3. Part 3 of 3

TITLE: "The Comfort of Recovery" Part III

AUTHOR: Verb

RATING: PG, I would think

CATEGORY: Humor, some Daniel/Janet, slight Jack/Sam pre-relationship

SUMMARY: Sometimes, you just needed a place to crash and wait it all out. Part 3 of 3.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events therein are copyrighted to the author.

DEDICATION: Again to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea, for encouragement and beta'ing; and to krysalys, because apparently obsessed minds think alike. This chapter is also dedicated to Darth Tater, for fear that if I did not, I'd be roasted over an open flame :) (And don't worry about unfinished stories with me – I hate those as much as the next person.)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you again to everyone who left a review – it's no great to see that a little story like mine can find some people who enjoy it.

* * *

Jack spun around to face Sam.

"Please tell me I'm experiencing some kind of alien dreamworld here."

"Um, Jack?"

Closing his eyes, Jack slowly turned back around to face the room. He knew it was Daniel who had spoken, but he was still convinced he was under the influence of some kind of alien virus. "Over here, Jack."

He opened his eyes. _Crap. Not dreaming._

Sam slowly begain pushing her C.O. into the room. "Come on, sir – can't keep them waiting any longer. Teal'c went to a lot of trouble for this."

"I can see that." A quick glance around the room told Jack that there was definitely a party of some kind going on. The infirmary was covered in streamers, streching across the ceiling and all matter of medical equipment. Balloons were weighted down along the walls, the colours varying from a bright yellow to a deep metalic green. Loops of ribbon were tied to every avaliable surface.

But the strangest thing in the room was the sheer number of people surrounding Daniel's bed. Janet, Teal'c, Davis, Siler, and SG teams 2 through 13 had somehow managed to squeeze themselves amongst all the decorations that crowded the small space. Sam joined Teal'c at the end of Daniel's bed. Daniel, for his part, was grinning from ear to ear. "Surprised, Jack?"

Jack cleared his throat. "Um, yeah. What's going on here, exactly?"

"We felt that a celebration was in order," Daniel explained. "You see, I was sitting here, under duress I might add," He shot an amused look at Janet, "and I was thinking about how many times I'm in the infirmary."

At that, Jack couldn't help the smirk that made its way to his face. "Well, Danny, I'd say that the plaque next to your head makes that quite clear."

Daniel smiled up at the man. "Yes, well, all joking aside for the moment, the thought occurred to me that whenever I wake up from various comas and injuries, it's always you who's sitting by my side, waiting for me to wake up."

Janet cleared her throat, a sound that immediately caught Daniel's attention. "Ok, so you're one of the people who are always there to see that I'm ok," he said as he smiled at Janet and took her hand.

"DanielJackson, I believe that it would be prudent to approach the sharpness of your intentions," Teal'c intoned from his place at the end of Daniel's bed.

"Good idea, Teal'c." Daniel shifted, reaching around to the small table next to his bed, and placed his glasses on their usual perch atop his nose. "Teal'c, Sam, Janet and I thought that, if I got my very own infirmary bed, you should get something as well." He pointed to the rather large object on his right.

Surprised at himself for not seeing the giant giftwraped package, Jack approached it and tried to figure out what in the world he would need while waiting for Daniel to wake up from whatever had caused him to land back in the infirmary.

Daniel continued his story as he watched Jack size up his gift. "Teal'c had to do most of the work, since I couldn't leave here and Sam had to spend most of the day keeping you from finding anything out."

Jack glared at his 2IC. "I knew there was something going on." Realization dawned on his face. "Is that why I was forced to sit in on that briefing with McKay?"

"I'm afraid that was my idea, son."

"General Hammond, you sly dog!" Jack acknowledged the man as he entered the infirmary. "You were in on this too?"

Hammond smiled. "Had to, Jack. How else could we have planned this without you knowing?"

"Very sneeky, sir."

"Why don't you go ahead and open that gift."

Nodding absently, Jack again turned to his gift. He slowly began to pull the wrapping paper free, reavealing something he was not expecting.

He looked up in surprise. "A chair? You got me a chair?"

"Not just any chair, O'Neill." Teal'c stepped towards Jack and his gift. "It is the SuperComfort Deluxe, a chair with superiour cushioning and elevation. The salesperson at the furniture store assured me it would be most comfortable."

Sam smiled at the Jaffa. "Teal'c suggested that getting you your own chair to sit in when Daniel's in the infirmay for long periods of time would help keep the pressure off of your knee, sir. The infirmary chairs don't offer much in the way of back support, sir."

"And," Janet interjected, "I was tired if having to keep you from hovering around and getting in my way."

"Hey, I do not hover," Jack protested.

Teal'c allowed himself a shadow of a smile. "Indeed."

"I don't!"

"Uh, Jack?" Daniel cut off what he was sure to be another one of Jack's rants about being special ops and as such would never be caught hovering over anything. "Notice anything . . . special about the chair?"

"Don't hover," Jack muttered as he stepped closer to the SuperComfort Deluxe. He ran his hand over one of the chair's armrests, and looked up when he saw the material covering the cuisions. "Is that . . . ?"

Daniel smiled. "Teal'c thought you might like that."

Jack looked over at Teal'c. "How in the world did you get them to use _The Simpsons_ fabric?"

Teal'c inclined his head. "It was not difficult. I had only to remind the store manager that the chair was being procured for a great warrior who had fought in many battles." Teal'c paused. "But I suspect that it was mostly due to what Doctor McKay refers to as my mastery of something called 'The Force'."

Jack grinned and clapped Teal'c on the back. "Thanks, T. This is great!" He walked back over to his chair and flopped down, wiggling around to get himself comfortable.

"How does it feel, Jack?" asked General Hammond.

"It's great, sir, although I could use a beer . . ."

A loud noise caused everyone's attention to focus on the entrance to the infirmary. The doors flew open, revealing one Dr. Rodney McKay.

"That is not what I ordered," Jack grumbled when he saw the scientist.

"What?"

"Nothing, McKay. What's up?"

McKay took a few breaths. "Well, I was invited to this little shindig of yours, but it seems I'm a bit late."

Jack stared at the scientist. "Uh, yeah."

"Oh, well, congradulations and all that. Did I miss the cake?"

Jack sat up straight in his new chair. "Cake? Carter, you didn't mention there would be cake."

Sam chuckeled. "Yes, sir. We set it up in the commissary before we came here. I believe Teal'c decorated down there as well."

"Well, let's get going!"

Sam smiled and watched as all of the SG teams started to exit the infirmary, Daniel complaining the entire way about being pushed by Janet in a wheelchair.

"Janet, I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own."

"I just like being able to push you around, that's all." Janet winked at Sam as she, Daniel, Teal'c, Hammond and McKay made their way towards the elevator.

Jack took the near empty infirmary as an opportunity to get comfortable in his new chair. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the quiet.

"Surprised, sir?"

Jack opened his eyes to look at Sam. "Yes, I am. It's a really great gift. It almost makes up for making me sit through McKay's briefing on the dangers of Stargate travel."

"Almost, sir?"

"Almost. But I think cake will make us even."

Sam smiled and held out her hand to help Jack out of the chair. Jack stared at her hand, then seemed to come to a decision and allowed her to help him make his way out of his brand new chair.

"There is one more thing, sir."

Jack raised one of his eybrows at his 2IC. "Spill, Carter."

"We bought you a chocolate lemon cake." She waited for him to make the connection.

"Did anyone tell McKay?"

"Not yet."

"Sweet."

THE END


End file.
